Chapter Six
Morgue
It felt like I was going to erupt in a fit of rage. I wanted -- needed -- to slaughter every motherfucker who'd done this to her. Sure, me and my brothers had killed everyone we knew of in the place Dorothy had been kept, but I now included her roommates in my hate. I didn't like having to kill women, but I knew I'd relish these deaths.
And Goddamnit, I wanted her to see me as a man who could and absolutely would protect her! My entire adult life, I'd been Morgue. The man who killed, and killed willingly. It had never bothered me before. Now? I wanted Dorothy to see me as more. A man willing to do what was necessary, but…
"Why?" she sobbed out against my neck. "Why did this happen?"
"Gonna take care of you," I said. I wasn't sure why, because, a nurturer I was not. I was a killer. I could avenge her, could rain down death and destruction to her enemies, but I'd never been the overly demonstrative type. "Then I'm gonna kill everyone responsible for this."
She cried for a long while, trembling in my arms. I tightened my hold on her, doing the only thing I could think of to make her feel more secure. Her crying lessened but didn't stop. So, I held her tighter.
Finally, she calmed down to the occasional sniffle. She didn't pull away from me or indicate in any way she wanted me to let her go, so I didn't.
"You know," she said, her voice shaky. "It could have been an innocent accident. They might not have known this was going to happen."
"Know soon. Got Wylde lookin' into it."
"Wylde?" She didn't move and sounded like she was exhausted. Probably was, given the release of emotion she'd just spent.
"Intel officer. Does shit with computers."
"Oh. OK."
We were a pair. Now she'd devolved to one-word sentences too. Nothing more needed to be said anyway. I held her and she let me. That was all either of us needed for the moment.
All too soon, there was a knock at the door signaling Stitches and possibly the women too. I growled in frustration. Though I knew she needed them, I wasn't ready to give up this peace yet. Selfish, but she seemed content and I knew I fucking was. So, when she stiffened, I barked out, "Go away!"
There was a slight pause. "Morgue, it's Iris. I'm coming in."
"Go away!"
"It's all right," Dorothy whispered. "You can let them in."
"Don't want to."
Dorothy didn't say anything else and didn't move to get out of my arms. When the door opened, I groaned in protest.
"Relax there, big guy," Iris said, entering slowly with Blossom. Sparkle didn't have the same hesitation. She trotted straight over to us and licked at Dorothy's ankle, whining as she did so.
"What can we do, Dorothy?" Blossom ignored me altogether. "We can't take the pain away, but we can give you something else to think about for a while."
Sparkle whined and pawed at the seat next to me and Dorothy before slinking up and turning around in the corner, so her muzzle lay against Dorothy's legs. She could stick her tongue out and lick Dorothy's ankle.
Dorothy leaned forward to reach for the dog. Sparkle whined when Dorothy stroked her back a couple of times but didn't move other than to lick Dorothy's ankle again. Seemed that was how the dog was going to comfort Dorothy.
"I think Sparkle is gonna do much better than us." Blossom gave Dorothy a gentle smile. "You let Sparkle stay with you until she wants to come back to me."
"But won't she want you?"
Blossom shrugged. "Sparkle knows when someone needs her, and that's where she goes. If someone is hurting, she's right there trying to give any comfort she can. If you need her to play, she'll play. If you want to snuggle? She's your dog. If you just need someone to watch over you, she's that too. Trust me when I tell you that Sparkle will not leave until she's sure you no longer need her."
Dorothy nodded slowly before settling back against the crook of my neck. "OK."
"Good. Now." Iris brought out a phone and laid it on the coffee table in front of us. "That phone has all our numbers programmed in. You know me and Blossom, but there's also Bellarose, Odette, Danica, Nyla, Piper, Winter, Serelda, and Scarlet. You can call or text any of us at any time and we'll come to you. No questions asked. All we want is for you to feel safe." She gave me a glance before continuing. "I'll leave it up to Morgue to add his number and anyone else's he thinks you need."
"Thank you. I'm sorry to be such a bother." She sniffled and I thought I might lose my mind if she started crying again. Never thought a woman's tears would affect me like this, but they made me feel helpless and like I wasn't caring for her like she needed.
"You're not a bother, honey. We've all been through something. Maybe not as horrific as what you've gone through, though some of us have, and we know that the biggest part of healing is finding a place where you feel safe. Physically safe as well as safe to be yourself. The men here gave us that. As the female population grew and the men started finding women they wanted to keep, we took up the banner and let me tell you, it's much easier for a woman to feel safe when surrounded by women who have their back. That's us."
"The men have our backs and that puts us all solidly in the center," Blossom continued. "They make an impenetrable wall around us."
Dorothy lifted her head and looked at the women, studying them before nodding her head slowly. "I like that."
Iris let out a breath and smiled. "We've got you, honey. All of us."
Stitches knocked on the doorframe even though the door was open. "Got some stuff," he said. "Startin' with the bug juice."
Dorothy wrinkled her nose delicately. "Bug juice? Didn't know alcohol was a cure for… uh, stuff."
"It's not." Stitches gave her a grin. "Bug juice is also Doctor slang for antibiotics. Though, sometimes I recommend alcohol. One shot of Jack never hurt anyone." Not strictly the truth, but I saw what Stitches was trying to do.
"I didn't know there was such a thing as doctor slang." Dorothy lay passively again, her hands curled into fists and still bunched in my T-shirt.
"Sure is. Ask any doctor."
As if on cue, Eagle, our club's medic, knocked on the doorframe just like Stitches had. "Someone order some bug juice?"
"Yep. Give it to Iris. She'll help me."
"Sure thing. Want me to shut the door?"
"Please," Iris answered. "Thanks, Eagle."
"Sure thing." Eagle nodded at Dorothy and gave her a small but friendly smile. "Welcome to the family, lil' bit. We got your back."
"Thank you." Dorothy's answer was soft, but she managed to eke out a smile for Eagle. I didn't like her giving her smiles to the other man, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.
The next couple of hours was filled with Stitches infusing antibiotics and fluids. Stitches found non-narcotic solutions instead of narcotics. Not as immediate, but it took the edge off. The IV fluids seemed to help her more than anything.
"Aren't you gonna ask me embarrassing questions?" Dorothy spoke so softly I wasn't sure Stitches heard her. Wasn't sure I would have if her mouth hadn't been so close to my ear.
"No, honey." Stitches gave her a smile. "At this point, what happened doesn't matter from a medical standpoint. I gave you a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It'll kill most infections. If you start hurting or have unusual smells or discharge, we'll reevaluate. At some point, you may want to talk to someone. When you get there, I'll find someone you can be comfortable with."
"That's just it. It's all a haze. I didn't even know how long I'd been there. I think that, maybe for the first few weeks, they kept me so doped up I had no hope of being aware of everything. I've never even smoked a joint or had more than a wine cooler to drink."
"Yeah. I could see that. You're lucky you didn't overdose."
She tilted her head, seeming to think about what he said. "If I remembered what they did to me, I might well have wished they had given me an overdose. So maybe me not remembering is a good thing."
Stitches shrugged. "Not a bad way to look at it, honey. Just keep the offer in mind. I'm a doctor so I look after your medical as well as your mental needs. Ain't no therapist, but I know several good ones."
"Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're here with us, Dorothy." Then Stitches glanced at me. "Take care of her, Morgue."
I grunted.
Finally, when everyone was gone and it was me, Dorothy, and Sparkles -- the dog hadn't moved other than to lick Dorothy's ankle occasionally -- she lifted her head and looked up at me. She took several deep breaths. It was obvious she was trying to get her thoughts together because she opened her mouth a couple of times like she was going to speak but didn't.
"Just rest. You need something, you tell me."
"Am I in your home?"
I nodded. "Yeah. If you're uncomfortable with that, we can move to a different room."
She pushed away slightly then, looking at me on more of an even level. "We? I mean, you don't have to go with me. I just don't want to take over your space."
A disgruntled growl escaped before I could censor it. "Stayin' with you."
"Are you sure? I mean, I'll sleep on the couch, so you'll still have your bed, but I don't want to be all up in your shit."
"You won't be. And you'll sleep in the bed. Not the couch."
She fidgeted a little, picking at my shirt. "I don't…" She swallowed, two tears overflowingbefore she swiped at them with her hand. "I don't want to be alone."
I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I wasn't sure I was capable of leaving her alone while she slept, even if it was my bedroom and I'd be right outside the room. What if she had a nightmare? I wanted to be there to soothe her immediately. "You won't be. I'll be with you."
She was quiet for a time, not moving, but she didn't close her eyes. I'd give my right nut to know what she was thinking. Was she scared? Of me?
"Thank you, Morgue. I'm sure I'm cramping your style, but you'll never know how much I appreciate you letting me melt down like this."
I grunted. It was becoming my go-to response. Why? Because I couldn't seem to get my bearings around the woman! She was battered and broken. Had been drugged out of her mind. There was no hoping she hadn't been raped or sexually abused in God knew how many ways in the time she'd been there. She'd simply been a captive too long. I was surprised she wasn't beaten worse than she was. My guess was they kept her so doped she couldn't do much more than lie there and take it.
What I wanted to tell her was that she never had to worry about anything ever again, least of all being hurt by anyone. She was mine and I protected what was mine. Somehow, though, I doubted that would help matters any. She might feel comfortable with me now, but laying claim to her would change the dynamic.
I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that. I think I might have dozed off at one point. Dorothy did too. It wasn't until Stitches came back to change out her fluids that either of us stirred.
"Just swapping out bags," he informed us softly. "How you feelin', kiddo?"
"Better," she replied. "My head doesn't hurt as much, but my belly is still in knots."
"Yeah. Give it a few more hours. The fluids will help."
She managed another small smile. "I believe you. I think they've helped already."
"That and the ibuprofen. Once this goes in, I can remove the IV if you like. Or I can disconnect the bag and leave it in case you need more tomorrow. Would save you a stick."
She nodded. "I think that will be best. If it's not too much trouble."
"Honey, nothing is too much trouble to make you comfortable and to help you heal. But I'd feel better leaving it in, to be honest."
It took another half hour for the bag to finish. Stitches taped up her IV site so she didn't get it caught on anything, then left us. Dorothy didn't move, but I knew she probably needed to use the bathroom.
When I shifted on the couch, she whimpered and clung tighter. Sparkle lifted her head and whined slightly, licking at Dorothy's ankle again.
"Ain't goin' nowhere. Just thought I'd carry you to the bathroom. Do your business and we'll go to bed."
"You promise you won't leave?" She looked up at me with pleading eyes and my heart melted.
"No fuckin' way I'll ever leave you, Dorothy. I'm yours as long as you want me." Again, her eyes filled with tears, and I panicked. "I mean, I'm not gonna force myself on you or anything. I just mean I'll protect you. Always."
She wrapped her arms around my neck and the fucking tears started again. She pressed herself close to me as she cried. Every single tear felt like a dagger to my heart. Dorothy was clinging to me, so I held her tighter. If she didn't want me, surely she'd push me away. There was no way to let her go when she was so distressed.
"Do you promise?"
"Yes. I won't leave. I told you."
"No." She shook her head but didn't pull away. "That you're mine. As long as I want you."
I narrowed my gaze on her. "I fuckin' promise, Dorothy. I Goddamn fuckin' promise."